Vehicle-spring.



PATENTE!) MARplo.l 190s.

J. s. CLARK.- VEHIcL-E SPRING. APPLICATION IILBD AUG. 1908.

W/ TN E SSE S A TTOHNE YS T o all whom ttmay concern:

"UNITED STAWENT GFFICE.v`

JoHN s. caninos ISLAND crrnoREeo-N.

'minets-SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

patented Marenv 1o, 190s.

'Application med August s, 1906. serian rra-329,683.'

Be it known that l, JOHN S; CLARK', a cit-izen ofthe United vStates, and a resident of Island City, in the county of Unione-nd.

)State of Oregon, have invented anew and y useful Improvement in Vehicle-Springs, of

i 1 which the tollowin description,

Another-purposeot the springs from unduly expandimy fand breaking, and'likewise prevent violently disturbing the occupants of thevehicle, as 'is often the case where the springs are not held in restraint.l

A furtherpurpose of the invention is toprovide a device of the character mentioned which is 'light iii-weight, economic in c'onstruction and which canbe varied to suit the various conditions under which it may be Adesirable to use it, and whereby its applic-a vtion is simple and eiiective Jor the .purposes intended. f

The invention consists in the novel cene' struction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set-forth and pointed out in the claims.

R -ference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings forming a part ot this specification, in which similar characters ot reference indicate correspondingparts in allthe igures.

Figure 1 is a side elevationof a, buggy illusvtrating the application of the device; Fig. 2

is an enlarged side elevation of a 'spring of a4 vehicle andan outer face view of the applied device; Fig. 3 is'a `vertical sectiont trough the spring and a side view ofthe device,

' illustrating both under severe' compression;

Fig. 4 isa view similar to that shown in Fig. 3, but illustrating the spring and the device expanded; vand Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section through the device, the parts thereof being in normal position.

, A represents the hodv of a buggy, Bthe wheels thereof `and C the forward and the 4 the ir'iventi'onisy to-pre- 'vent the up-throw o r rebound.when'passing `over'rough roads or obstructions', tovprevcnt rear springs of the vehicle, which springs are' usually attached .by the custmnary 'cli s 1() vto the fbody' or to across bar beneat the body, and to thegaxles 11 of the wheels or other` suitable lower supports, said clips for attaching the springs to the axles being des;-

ignated as 1'()a in the drawings.

A horizontal'bracket 12 is located at 'the uppercentral' portion of eachspring C at the inner faces ol the springs, and'said brackets 12 extend 'preferably outward from the springs, Corresponding lower brackets are provided Jfor the said springs C, being v held in place by the lower clips 1.0. An 1mproved butler D is located between the upper and the lower brackets 1 2 and 13.01 each spring, and each butter is of the followingy 'construction Vertical guide rods 14 are loosely mounted in the lower bracket 1,3, and are viiredly'se-y cured t'o an upper plate 15 parallel with l,the

said bracket 13, the plate 15`being usually of the same generalcontour as the outer or pro'- jecting portion of thev said bracketl.

Thelower bracket 13 is provided withfa preferably reduced and passed through suitable vopeninas'in the intermediate plate 15 so as toform shoulders on kthe rods on which the central opening ldandthe lower ends of the i .guide rods 14 have heads 17ftormed thereon.' The upperv ends of said guide rods 14- are said plate 15 can restand each rod 14 is provided with a nut 1S at its upper end. Fur'- ther, in the construction of the intermediate plate 15 a central opening-19 is made, corresponding to the opening 16 in the lower bracket 13. Y

Anydesired number ot guide rods le'mayV .be employed, but usually and preferably the guide rods are three in number and are arranged triangularly, and a triangular shape is also preferably givento the intermediate plate andthe outer portion of the bracket 13j.

A A connecting rod Z0 is passed through an opening in the central portion of theupper bracket12, and the upper end of said conneet-ing rod 20 is provided with a head 223. This` connecting rod 20 is passed down through the Aopening l19 in the intermediate fixed plate 15 and is secured at its lower end to a plate 21 of' practicallythe same `formation as the vfixed intermediate plate 15 g and `said plate 21 is )roviderlwvith apertures 21a throu h which t "eguide rods 14loose1y pass. The lwer end of the rod .20 has a nut 22 vappli vd the] eto, wxhiclijwheri the sliding plate 21 is in its lower or normal position extends down into the opening 16 in the lo wer bracket 13. A spring 23 is coiled around the con-- necting rod 2() having bearing upon the sliding plate 21 and the intermediate fixed plate 15.

In operation, :when the springs C are coinpressed, the'springs-ZB of the buffers are like- Wise placed under compression in a downward direction as shown in Fig. 3%, which compression is accomplished when the elliptical orvehicle springs C have been pressed down sufliciently to bring their upper brackets 12f in engagement with the intermediate plate 15 fixed to the guide rodsor bars 14, and at such time the said plate 15 is carried downward and the rods 14 slide through the lower `or fixed bracket 13. ln this manner the springs 23 of a butler D assists thewehicle spring with which it. is connected to sustain 'the load. n Fig. 4. the elliptical or vehicle springs are shown expanded,I which position they often assume when the wheels of the vehicle `enter a deep rut in the road, for example;

" and at such time as the body oi the vehicle rides up withvthe rising of..the connected spring t, the cbnnecting rods 20 are carried u Ward-and'will in turn draw upward the s idin'g plate 21, placing the buffer springs under compression in an u ward direction, thus relieving the elliptica spring C Afrom undue tension or strain. Y

I desire itto be understood that do not confine myself to the exact form of the construct-ionl shown inv the drawings, but that the form of construction and method of attaching said device -may bevaried'to suit the vvarious conditions met with in different vehicles that l can use ene or nioie coi/l springs, and that the number of vertical rods can be changedas may be found 'necessaniT -or desirable, Without departing from the spirit of the invention. f

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new, and desire to secure bv Letters Patent,-

1. The coiiibination with a vehicle spring and it lower support,l of brackets extending one from the top of the spring and the other from the said lower support therefor, the brackets located at the central portion of the spring, a frame having a sliding connection esmas Vvehicle spring and .an upper and a lower bracket extending out from' the central portions of the said elliptical spring, of a frame consisting of a lower plate located above the lower bracket, an upper plate located between the 'two brackets, guide bars secured Y to the upper plate and loosely passed through the lower plate and bracketl aronnccting rod loosely passed through thtl upper bracket and through the upper and lower plates of said frame, being secured to the lower plate .of the frame, and a spring` coiled around lhe :connecting rod between the ytwo plaies of the frame. v

3. The combination. with an elliptical vehicle spring, and an upper and a lower.

bracket extending out horizontally from the central portions of the elliptical spring, of a plate located between the two brackets adjacent to the upper one, a lower plate which lies'normallj,v in engagement with the upper face of the lower bracket, guide rods secured to said upper plate, being passed loosely through. the lower' plate, terminating in heads at their 'lower ends, a connecting iod having a head at its upper end, which con- -necting rod is' passed. loosely through theupper bracket and loosely through the said. upper plate and is secured to the lower plate,

and a spring coiled around said connecting rod and having bearing against both of said upper and lower plates.

4. T hc combination with a vehicle spring, of a frame having sliding` connection with the spring at its top, 'being otherwise independent thereof, and an independent spring carried by the said frame, which latter spring is placed under compression whenever the main 'spring is unduly compressed or ex-l panded.

ln' testimony whereof l have signed in v name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.'

JOHN S. CLA RK 

